Diana Malouf created Ococoa with her passion for chocolate confections. She loves experimenting with new flavors and using ingredients from her Lebanese background, but also loves the reaction she gets when people take a bite of her delicious chocolates.I had the oh-so heavy burden of trying a box of Ococoa’s Butter Cup Collection chocolates. Oh poor me, right? I received them a little before Valentine’s Day and tried to hold out until then, but my husband and I (he’s also a chocolate lover) couldn’t wait and we opened the box a few days before. I think I gasped as I opened the box…it was so pretty, too pretty to eat (almost!). I love chocolates that look like art…the Almond Cherry was my favorite design.
The first flavor I tried was Macadamia Guava because it reminded me of a tropical vacation. Then I tried Hazelnut Chocolate, a more classic flavor. My husband first tried Classic Peanut Butter, and then Sunflower Honey. Okay then we tried the rest of them. We still can’t decide which one is our favorite! They were all so good, in their own way. Some of the flavors you wouldn’t think would go well with chocolate, like sea salt or sesame. But these ingredients seem to bring out the best of the chocolate flavor.And the biggest surprise of all? These hand-made chocolates are vegan. My husband didn’t believe me…I had to show him the website! There is no milk and no gluten in these chocolates. In addition, nuts have so many health benefits. You can enjoy these guilt-free.I would love to give these out as gifts, or serve them on a beautiful tray during tea time…they’d definitely be the highlight of the occasion. Here are more pictures from the Butter Cup Collection, for you to drool over.
